Taken
by hasy16
Summary: What happens when Emily is abducted? :o   Centered on the whole team. Please read and review! :*  Warning: violence/torture
1. Taken

**A/N**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds.**

**This is my first fanfic ever, so reviews would be much appreciated. I'm not a good or experienced writer, but I thought I'd give it a shot. **

Emily Prentiss unlocked the door of her apartment with a sigh of relief.

The team had just returned from a case in Ontario, Canada. They had finally found the unsub who had killed over 90 people in the hopes of finding a cure for his paraplegic disability. The girl who had been kidnapped by his brother was safe too.

Everyone had been tired from the case. On the jet ride back home, JJ had immediately fallen fast asleep while Hotch read a novel. Rossi had typed away on his laptop, perhaps a chapter for his upcoming book? Morgan and Reid had played a quick game of poker that ended with Morgan jokingly punching the junior agent. After that, both of them had dozed off. Meanwhile, Prentiss had stared out the window with glazed, sleepy eyes.

She recalled their plane trip home with a smile. Although Prentiss was a relatively new member to the team, they were much more than just a team to her. They were her family, providing love, support, and comfort when she needed it the most. She would never tell them that, though. Prentiss was an expert at keeping her true feelings hidden.

Her mother had never been like they were – kind, helpful, and affectionate. Ambassador Prentiss had acted more like a teacher than a mother during Emily's childhood. She believed that discipline was the key to raise a child. As for Prentiss' father, she didn't even know his name.

Now Hotch and Rossi seemed like fathers to her. With their wise words and kind thoughts, they provided guidance and advice to her. Morgan, with his constant jibes but a fierce sense of loyalty and love, was like a big brother to her. The kind and empathetic JJ and the crazy yet very loveable Garcia were her sisters. And finally, the quirky 'I know you don't want to or really need to hear this statistic but I'll share anyways' Reid seemed like a nephew to her.

Prentiss glanced a picture of them all and her smile grew. She looked forward to seeing them all tomorrow at the BAU. She wasn't looking forward to the pile of paperwork that had surely grown during her time in Ontario, however.

Shoving those thoughts aside, Prentiss stepped into her bathroom and undressed. She got into the shower and let the warm water fall like rain on her sore body. She stayed in there for what felt like hours, but in reality it was only fifteen minutes.

Refreshed, now all Prentiss wanted to do was curl up with a good novel and get a good twelve hours of sleep. Should she revisit a classic Vonnegut novel, or start the one that JJ had recommended to her? Either one seemed like good bets.

Sadly… Prentiss would not be able to start reading anything that night.

Prentiss changed into a pair of comfortable flannel pyjamas and walked back into the bathroom to wash up. She took out her contact lenses with a moan of delight. As much as she loved and needed to wear them, sometimes they hurt. She put on a pair of thick glasses that she wouldn't be caught dead in. In fact, she wondered if the team knew that she wore contacts. Whatever, that didn't matter. Prentiss picked up her toothbrush and began vigorously brushing her pearly whites.

Unknown to her, a figure clad all in black silently trod through her living room. Carrying a baseball bat in gloved hands, he looked into the bathroom and smiled. This was going to be fun.

The last thing Prentiss remembered before a knock to the head send her sprawling was that minty-fresh feeling you get after brushing your teeth.

**A/N**

**Duh duh duh! What's going to happen to Prentiss?**

**Thanks for reading… please review? :***


	2. Where did she go?

**A/N**

**Another chapter! I'm writing a lot today. :P**

_The next day, at the BAU._

Reid sat down at his desk with a hopeful smile that immediately fell off his face once he glanced at the massive stack of paper on it. Even though he could read each sheet in about ten seconds flat, he really wasn't in the mood for it. Besides, work started at 9 am and it was only 8:45. He could procrastinate for 15 minutes, right?

Wrong, said his ever-calculating brain. If he started now, he could finish 5230 seconds faster.

The calculations of Reid's brain were interrupted by the arrival of Morgan and Garcia. They charged through the elevator door, apparently engrossed in a heated debate. Both were holding large drinks, presumably coffee.

"Garcia! I can't believe you just told the coffee shop boy that I'm your marvellous god of melted chocolate! And then you _winked_ at him!"

"Honestly, Morgan. It's really not that big of a deal. Besides, I'm just speaking the plain truth."

Shaking his head, Morgan said "I know it is, babygirl. But that doesn't mean I want the whole city to know it!"

"Whatever you say, boy. It'll be our secret then."

Winking, Garcia flounced into her lair and out of sight.

"Hey, morning kid", said Morgan.

"Morning yourself", replied Reid. "Where is everyone? Usually everyone's here before 9, and its 8:56 now."

As if on cue, Hotch, JJ, and Rossi fell out of the elevator. Apparently, in an elevator two is company and three is borderline claustrophobic.

"Morning", said Hotch.

"Hey Hotch! Looks like we're all here… except for Emily. Anyone heard from her?" Reid asked.

"Nope", said JJ as everyone shook their heads.

"Well, it's only 9:00 now. Maybe she's stuck in traffic or something", the practical-minded Rossi said. "I'm sure she'll show up soon. Anyways, do we have a case today JJ?"

"Not yet. There are some potential ones on my desk but I haven't gotten the chance to look at them yet. I'll keep you guys posted." JJ replied as she entered her office.

"Great… another day of paperwork. I love this job", said Morgan with a grimace. "I wonder where Prentiss is. I don't want her to miss out on this joy."

"She's probably just late, like Rossi said", replied Hotch as he walked into his office.

"That's not like her…" Reid said. He wondered what had happened.

None of them suspected the danger that Prentiss was really in…

**A/N**

**I know it's short, but the next chapter should be up soon. Thanks for reading, please review?**

**And thanks to my 2 reviewers so far. :***


	3. Danger looms

**A/N**

**Thanks for the reviews, everyone! They really helped me continue.**

**Anyways, enjoy the chapter.**

The first thing Emily Prentiss felt when she woke up was pain. A constant, throbbing pain at the back of her head. Groaning, she rolled on her back and looked around.

A large dark room stared back at her. Clutter had been pushed aside near the walls, leaving space for where Prentiss was lying. A long, narrow table stood nearby. Prentiss could also see a variety of knives, a taser, handcuffs, a lighter, and a wrench.

Looking at what were clearly instruments of torture caused a sick feeling to settle in the base of Prentiss' stomach. Whatever lay ahead for her did not look pretty.

She tried to remember how she had ended up lying in a cold, dark basement. She remembered flying back from Ontario, returning to her apartment, taking a shower, putting on her pyjamas… what had happened after that? Racking her mind, Prentiss thought hard. Oh yes! She had taken out her contacts and brushed her teeth.

After that, just pain at the back of her head.

She briefly recalled waking up for a minute in the backseat of a car, but after that it was just darkness.

Prentiss shivered, it was cold. Her only condolence in the dark, desolate basement was that she was supposed to be at work today, so her team would notice her absence. With that mildly comforting thought, she rolled over and fell back into a troubled sleep.

_At the BAU, 10:15am_

"Morgan, I'm starting to get a little worried about Prentiss. She should be here by now, or she should have called us to explain her absence. She's never late, well except for that one time when the guy at the gas station had a flat tire and her phone was dead and - "

"Reid!" Morgan cut off the younger agent. "Okay, I get it. But are you a little worried, or a lot worried? It sounds like the latter…"

"Fine, I'll say it. I am really worried about her. This just isn't like her."

"I'm worried too, kid. Have you tried calling her cell?"

"Yep, multiple times. It keeps going straight to voicemail…"

"Alright, kid. Let's see what we can do". Morgan clapped the younger agent on the shoulder and walked to Hotch's office.

"Hey. Reid and I are getting a little worried about Prentiss. Is it alright if we go and check out her apartment? Besides, we've been doing paperwork for hours now and we deserve a break."

"Morgan, you've only been doing paperwork for a little over an hour. But alright, go." Hotch replied sternly. He didn't want to admit it, but he was a little worried about Prentiss too. She was one of the newer members of the team, but she worked very well with everyone else and she was a part of their family. He didn't approve of inter-team profiling, but from Prentiss' unconscious gestures and manner, he could tell that she really cared about all of them. As they cared about her.

Sighing, he shoved those thoughts to the back of his mind and got back to work. Hopefully Morgan and Reid would show up soon, with Prentiss in tow.

_At the apartment…_

Morgan and Reid arrived at the door of Prentiss' apartment and knocked on it. When nothing happened, Morgan said loudly "Hey, Prentiss! Are you there? Open up!"

When only silence greeted them, Morgan looked at Reid who nodded. Nimbly Morgan removed his credit card and used it to pick the lock on the apartment door. A quiet 'click' sound was heard, and the two agents walked in.

Reid felt that what they were doing was wrong. It seemed like an invasion of privacy. Goodness knows he wouldn't want Hotch and Rossi picking the lock on his house and breaking in. However, he quieted his doubts and looked around Prentiss' apartment.

Her cell and keys were on the kitchen counter. The apartment was very neat and tidy, but no surprise there. Prentiss didn't seem the type of person who would tolerate messes. The walls were a fetching shade of taupe, with the classic furniture matching the minimalist theme. A couple of comfy armchairs surrounded a decent sized flat screen television.

Meanwhile, Morgan was checking all the rooms in the apartment, gun at the ready. But there was no one there except for Reid and himself. He checked the main room, the bedroom, the closets, the kitchen, and finally the bathroom. Upon entering the bathroom he saw a sight that made him shiver.

"Reid? I think you better come here…"

Reid heard Morgan's voice calling to him from the bathroom and hurried there. What he saw wasn't out of the ordinary… toothpaste, contact lens solution, chapstick, soap, a glasses case…

But then he looked at the floor and froze. Lying on the tiled ground was a wooden baseball bat. On the bat was a small patch of dried blood. A long, dark hair was next to the bat.

"Oh god", said Morgan, exhaling. "If this is what I think it is then Prentiss is in a_ lot_ of trouble…"

"We better call the team and have Garcia match the blood and the hair", said Reid. The crime scene investigator in him kicking was kick-starting. He snapped some pictures of the scene with his iPhone while Morgan called the BAU.

"Hotch? Yeah, it's me. Listen, could you get everyone in the conference room? Reid and I have some news to share…"

"Okay, we're all here", replied Hotch.

"Hey guys. So, we're at Prentiss' apartment and –"

"And what!" interrupted Garcia impatiently.

"We found a baseball bat lying on the floor in the bathroom with dried blood on it. There's a hair next to it that looks a heck of a lot like Emily's. There are no signs of a struggle...but… Prentiss is gone."

**A/N **

**Sorry for the cliffhanger-ish ending!**

**Updates aren't going to be as frequent now, I'm afraid. The holidays are finished and soon life's business will take over. xD**

**I'll try my best though. Thanks for reading, and please review! :***


	4. The first pain

**A/N**

**So I stayed up late to write this chapter. xD**

**Enjoy!**

"Oh my god." JJ said, closing her eyes. She sat down and held her head in her hands.

Morgan and Reid had just returned from Prentiss' apartment with swabs of the dried blood and a sample of the hair. After giving them to an evidence analyst, the team had gathered in the conference room.

"Okay, from now on finding Prentiss is our only case. Ignore any paperwork, and JJ don't keep looking at potential case files. Getting Prentiss back safe and sound is our only priority."

The sound of Hotch's 'boss-man' voice interrupted everyone's thoughts.

"We need to remain focused and objective while we search", continued Hotch. I know we all have a strong personal connection, but we can't let our emotions get in the way of finding Prentiss."

Suddenly, Morgan's phone rang.

"Hey baby girl. I'm putting you on speaker, okay?"

"Garcia here. The technical analyst just forwarded me the results of the hair and blood samples…"

"And?" Hotch inquired.

"Both are a match to Emily."

For a moment, all was silent.

"Thanks Garca", Rossi said.

"No prob. I know you guys already know this… but I need my dark haired beauty back home, safe and sound. 'Kay?"

"We all need that, baby girl. Talk to you later", Morgan said quietly.

Emily Prentiss awoke again, feeling uncomfortable and stiff. In a split second she knew why: her wrists and ankles were tightly bound to a wooden chair. She shivered; the basement had an icy chill. Other than that, nothing had changed. She, Emily Prentiss, who always thought that she was a strong, fearless, independent woman, was now completely vulnerable and at the total mercy of what was probably a violent psychopath. She grimaced at the thought.

Coughing, she wondered if the team knew that she had been abducted. It was definitely lunchtime, which she could tell from her growling stomach. That meant that she had been kidnapped for a least 15 hours, assuming she was taken about 9:00pm last night.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. The steps echoed and dragged her out of her contemplations.

"Good morning SSA Emily Prentiss", said a menacing voice. Squinting through her glasses, Emily looked at the man who had abducted her.

He was average height, maybe 6'0 or 6'1. He had a muscular build with large biceps. His eyes were dark, his hair a golden brown. A sharp nose and bushy eyebrows complimented thick lips. He was wearing black jeans and a black T-shirt. The expression on his face was one of sick delight, combined with disgust.

"Morning!" he said again, angrily.

Prentiss remained silent.

Lashing out, the man punched her in the jaw. The chair wobbled and fell over, leaving Prentiss lying silently on the ground. Still she said nothing. She'd had worse, it was just a punch. Holding in a cry, she looked at him with venom in her eyes.

"When I say good morning, I expect an answer!" he said, rubbing his fist. "Are you ever going to say anything? Speak to me!"

He loomed over her, smiling. When she didn't reply, he kicked her in the chest with all of his might. Unable to hold it all in again, Prentiss let out a quiet whimper. That kick had hurt like hell. Was one of her ribs broken? She thought she had heard a crack…

"I'll come back when you're ready to talk to me like a normal human being, you worthless whore. Bye-bye", the man saluted after giving Prentiss another kick, for good measure.

And that's where he left her: beaten, cold, and in fierce pain on the ground, tied to a chair.

**A/N**

**And… this is when the story's rating changes. xD**

**Reviews are loved, and thanks for reading! :***


	5. On screen?

**A/N**

**Here's chapter 5!**

**Thank you so much for the lovely reviews, they're very motivating. :***

Emily Prentiss had been lying on the cold, hard floor for what felt like hours on end. After using her as a punching bag, the unsub had returned to untie her from the stiff wooden chair. At first Prentiss was puzzled about this apparent act of kindness until the man returned with fresh ropes. Those ropes looked stronger, and he showed no mercy when re-tying her ankles and wrists back to the wooden chair.

As she coughed under her breath, the man turned to her with the same expression of delight and hatred as he had before. "I didn't know that you would be so tough, but I guess you are an FBI agent. No matter, it'll be even more fun trying to break you. I wonder if your beloved team knows that you're gone… or if they even care."

Flinching inwardly, Prentiss just continued to glare at him. He started right back, removing a small but sharp knife from his pocket. "I wonder if this will make you talk…"

Looming towards her, the man caressed the blade of the knife with an almost tender touch. But then he looked towards her and his expression changed. Plunging the knife deep into her left arm, he looked deep into her eyes as he held the blade there. She met his gaze with no fear, but he could see the pain hidden in the depths of her dark eyes. He jerked the knife out and watched with satisfaction as a river of blood flowed from Prentiss' arm.

"_Now_ are you going to talk?"

Prentiss looked desperately at her left arm. If it didn't get looked at soon, it would be possible that she could lose a lot of blood and in turn, her energy. Relenting, she nodded once.

"Good. Now let's deal with that arm of yours… we wouldn't want you to bleed out on us, would we?"

Prentiss had no reply, and watched in silence as the unsub wrapped her arm in a thin gauze. She exhaled secretly, knowing that her arm would hurt like a bitch later, but for now she was at no risk of bleeding out.

"So, I've thought of something that would make out time together more enjoyable", the man said. "How would you like to see your friends at the BAU again? Well, actually not quite. To clarify, they can see you but you can't see them."

The man stood up and fetched something from a bag near the door. He mounted it and fiddled with the buttons for a couple of seconds. All of a sudden, a small red light turned on.

"Say hi to the BAU, bitch."

_At the BAU…_

Everyone gathered in the conference room with grim expressions on their faces. Emily had been missing for over 16 hours now, and although they had all been giving 110% effort, they had gotten nowhere.

Reid and JJ had looked over past cases, trying to find someone who could harbour a grudge against Prentiss. Morgan and Rossi had gone back to her apartment, desperately trying to find a clue. They had all retreated back to the conference room after their hard work had failed to turn up anything.

Meanwhile, Hotch had sat in his office with the lights out and drowned a little in despair. He had already lost Hailey, Gideon, and Elle, and he didn't know if he could handle losing Prentiss as well. He knew that he should get the melancholy thoughts out of his head and focus on finding her, so he dragged himself out of his chair and went to the conference room.

Hotch was greeted with nods, but from everybody's glum faces it was clear that they had gotten nowhere.

Suddenly Garcia's unmistakeable voice echoed from the laptop open on the table.

"Hotch? Guys! Team? ANYONE!"

"Calm down baby girl, we're all here. Have you found anything?"

"I was just sent a link to a live video feed… I think it's about Emily!"

"Did you open it?" Rossi said.

"Not yet, I literally got it like 5 seconds ago. I'm asking for the green light to open the link."

"You got it, Garcia. Send it to us a.s.a.p. please." Hotch said.

"Okay, sending now."

The laptop pinged quietly. The team surrounded it and watched in silence as Hotch clicked on the link that Garcia had just sent. The sight that greeted them made them recoil in shock and horror.

A tall brunette was seated, tightly bound with rope to a chair. Behind her stood a tall man, smiling a smile full of menacing delight. But it was not the sight of the man that made them gasp. It was the sight of their own Emily Prentiss.

Her skin, which had always been pale, was now a deathly white. Her dishevelled dark hair only enhanced the paleness of her skin. Large, gloomy bags rested under her huge dark eyes. Those eyes were camouflaged by a pair of thick glasses that none of them had ever seen before. A dark purplish brush spreading from the bottom of her jaw to her cheekbones was only enhanced by the ghostly colour of her skin.

She sneezed and shivered in the cold, causing the team to notice she was only wearing a thin white blouse and dark pants. The left sleeve of her blouse was a dark red colour, the colour of blood. A thin bandage hardly covered the deep cut from Prentiss' elbow to her shoulder. As she began to cough, the team noticed her wincing in pain and wondered how many other hidden injuries she had.

"Hello? Is this damn thing on? Oh yes, there we go. Say hi to everyone, Emily!" the man said with ruthless determination in his eyes.

Prentiss said nothing and willed the tears that were quickly forming in her eyes away. She had always been very skilled at hiding what she felt and even now it was no different. Besides, she didn't want the team to see her like this.

As much as she hated to admit it, Emily wasn't as strong as she had led everyone to believe. She had learned very early in life that you couldn't be taken seriously as a whimpering, emotional girl. Thus, she had worn a mask and concealed her emotions for almost her whole life. As she was being held in a basement, tortured and abused, she could feel the mask slowly slipping away. And the last thing she desired was her family to watch as it fell.

"I thought we had dealt with your annoying, presumptuous silence! You need to learn to speak up, you slut."

The man's visible anger was clear to everyone, especially Emily. She knew, being the excellent profiler that she was, that it was better to appease him for the time being. With any luck, it would save her from being beaten or stabbed which she couldn't bear having the team watch.

"Hey, everyone." Emily said quietly. For the first time, she looked straight at the camera. She grimaced and said "What's new with you guys?"

**A/N**

**Oh, the drama! xD**

**As mentioned before, updates may become less frequent because of school/volleyball/life.**

**Thanks for reading, and please review? :)**


	6. Electric Feel

**A/N**

**Sorry for the delay! First week back and my teachers decided to have lots of tests… plus double volleyball. x)**

**Anyways, enjoy!**

Rossi looked at the image of Prentiss on the computer screen with a fierce hatred. How could this man take her and abuse her like that! Rossi didn't know the team very well but he cared deeply for all of them. He knew they were all wonderful people and was pleased to have them as colleagues. It seemed to him rather like an insult against them all to watch one of their own, helpless and vulnerable. Perhaps the unsub had personal score to settle with the BAU…?

As Garcia watched the video, she could feel hot tears dripping down her cheeks. How dare someone do this to her dark-haired beauty, to her sister? Garcia let out a small whimper once she saw the extent of Emily's injuries. Her poor baby must be in so much pain…She knew that the team would be able to find her eventually, she just hoped they found her before it was too late.

Hotch felt a passionate anger build up inside of him as he looked at the video of Prentiss. She looked so defenceless and alone, a shocking change from the capable and independent woman he knew and admired. He could tell that she was obviously in a lot of pain, and it looked as though she might be getting sick too. As much as he hated to admit it, the scene shown before him reminded him of what Foyet had done to Hailey; put her in a very vulnerable position and do everything in his power to cause her pain. The anger inside him simmered into a passionate desire to do everything in his power to save her, Hotch couldn't face another tragedy.

While Prentiss tried to conceal a racking cough under her breath, JJ felt her heart break. During especially hard cases, JJ was usually able to hide her sensitivity under a facade of firm kindness. She would think of Henry and Will, safe back at home, and get over whatever obstacle she faced. But to sit there and watch Emily suffer… she couldn't take it. Tears started to form in the corner of her eyes and she didn't even try to blink them away. As a sudden wave of dizziness overtook her, JJ collapsed into a chair.

Morgan smashed his fist into the table in anger and frustration. Who was this man and what did he think he was doing, messing with Emily like that! He didn't know what was coming for him… once Morgan got his hands on this guy he would kick his ass. In the meantime though, he could only watch helplessly as his colleague and close friend was tortured. And if there was one thing Morgan hated, it was feeling helpless. He grinded his teeth in rage.

Reid just watched the video in horror. His eyes were like saucers as he thought back to the time of his abduction, and how he had managed. He could remember extreme pain, feeling lost and just wanting it all to end. Emily looked to be in an even worse state that he had been, and his heart went out to her. He hoped that she would remain the strong woman she knew her to be.

****

Prentiss could almost feel the eyes of the team upon her. She wished the stupid unsub wasn't forcing them to watch her like this. She knew that JJ, Reid, and Garcia were probably crying at the sight of her, and that Morgan might be getting angry. As for the actions of Hotch and Rossi she could only speculate, but she imagined that they were suffering too.

Her eyes almost filled with tears as she thought of all of them suffering on her behalf. But she forced the tears back and kept her emotions in check, as usual. She had to act her normal self now that she was on the camera… watching her break down would accomplish nothing and just cause the team more pain.

The unsub waved to the camera before turning his eyes back to Emily, his prize. He chuckled at the thought of having her team watch helplessly as she suffered.

Removing some metal wires from a pile of stuff near the wall, the man proceeded to wrap them around Emily's wrists and ankles. The wires were connected to what appeared to be a circuit board, or something similar to one. The unsub smiled while Emily coughed.

Watching the unsub with a stony glare, Prentiss braced herself for the intense pain she knew was only moments away. The last thing she wanted to do was to cry out or scream.

As the electricity coursed through her body and sent an indescribable pain through her veins, the most she allowed herself to do was exhale sharply. She could take it.

But as the man increased the voltage, her eyes widened as the tried to block out the pain. Happy place, thought Emily. Just go to your happy place… remember the time when you went out for dinner with the team? Everyone was laughing and having a great time…

Those were Emily's last coherent thoughts before the world went fuzzy and she lost consciousness.

****

The team all watch in horror as the unsub wrapped wires around her hands and feet. They all knew what was coming as much as they wished it wouldn't happen.

When the man first pressed the button on the circuit board, JJ gasped in anguish. Morgan clenched and unclenched his fists, feeling furious. Garcia openly wailed and cried as her baby was tortured. Rossi looked the same as always but inside he was crying. And Reid just sat there as the tears fell freely down his face.

As the unsub increased the voltage and they saw Prentiss struggling to fight the pain, JJ felt a wave of nausea sweep over her, and she ran to the bathroom. A tearful Garcia turned off the monitor on her computer, unable to watch it anymore. Rossi, Hotch, Morgan, and Reid continued to watch in a hushed silence.

They all realized something: they had better find Emily Prentiss quickly before anything else happened.

**A/N**

**Hope you enjoyed it! With any luck the next chapter will be up Sunday…**

**Spare a moment of your time and review? :***


	7. Reasons

**A/N**

**It's up! Thanks for all the reviews, everyone.**

**Enjoy. **

Emily Prentiss was lying on the floor, coughing her lungs out. After what seemed like ages, she managed to catch her breath. She felt like crap.

Although she rather wouldn't think about it, she looked like crap too. Her lovely brown hair was flying everywhere in a tangled mess. Her glasses were crooked, making it harder for her to see. And her pants and blouse were ripped and tattered.

As well, bruises and gashes covered most of her body. There were marks on her wrists and ankles where the wires had been. The gash on her arm hadn't started to heal, but at least she thought it didn't look infected. It hurt to cough, and she was almost certain that one of her ribs was broken.

However, she wasn't concerned about her exterior injuries. Emily was more worried about how cold she was always feeling, and her cough that felt like it was getting worse every passing hour.

She glanced at the red light of the video camera and fumed with anger. What kind of a sick bastard would film her being tortured, and then show it to the people she loved!

Another coughing fit gripped her, causing her to wince in pain. It was so cold down in the basement.. At least the man had given her a bit of food and some water, so she wasn't hungry or thirsty.

All of a sudden, the unsub burst through the door. He approached her quickly and stood in front of her.

To Emily's trained eye, it looked like the man had something on his mind. Not surprisingly, she was right.

"So, I guess you're wondering why I've taken you. Besides the fact that you are a useless slut, I'm going to tell you."

Emily nodded, eagerly anticipating why the man had brought her here.

"Last year, my little baby sister was abducted. She was only fifteen years old with her whole life ahead of her. The police investigated at first, but when they didn't come up with anything they told us that they were sending her case to the FBI. They thought there were some other abductions linked. The case went to the B.A.U., and guess what you guys did?"

Emily knew what was coming.

"You guys did nothing. Not one little thing at all. You didn't even give a crap that she was missing."

"That's not true. I don't think the case ever reached us, but we care," Emily replied slowly, afraid that the man was going to hurt her.

"Well, obviously you don't care enough. I never heard anything from you or your beloved 'team', and thanks to you guys my little sister is probably lying dead in a ditch somewhere."

"I'm sorry," replied Emily.

"Too bad, it's too late for apologies. That's all in the past. What matters now is what I'm going to do to you."

Out of nowhere, the man advanced closer towards her and punched her in the face. Her glasses cracked and shattered, creating a shower of glass that stuck to her face.

He kicked her in the stomach again, causing Emily to feel nauseous with the pain. The last thing she heard was "Oh, by the way. Call me Todd," before a smack to her head sent her unconscious yet again.

**A/N**

**I'm not sure when the next chapter is going to be up, a hectic week is looming ahead.**

**But some reviews would inspire me to get going on that…. ;)**


	8. Time is running out

**A/N**

**So, it's short but here it is. Enjoy!**

_At the BAU, 10 minutes earlier_

Reid was sitting at the table, watching the live video feed of Prentiss. The team had all agreed that although it was painful, they had to watch it in case their unsub revealed anything that could lead them to Emily. Right now, it was Reid's turn to take a one hour shift of watching the video.

He looked at the picture of Emily lying on the ground, looking hopeless. She was frequently coughing, causing Reid to wonder if she had caught a virus. Hopefully not… but she didn't look her usual, healthy self.

Reid's thoughts started to wander… Since when did Emily wear glasses? He wore glasses himself and he couldn't recall Emily ever wearing them…Strange. Also, was the cut on her arm likely to get infected? The chances of a deep cut like the one on her arm getting infected decrease 4.3% with every hour passed… that means that the cut on Emily's arm had only a 34.9% chance of becoming infected… which was good…

"Eeeek!" Reid yelped in surprise as suddenly the man walked into the basement where Prentiss was being held.

"Hotch? Morgan? Guys?" Reid squeaked as he tried to find the rest of his team. They had agreed to call each other if anything happened.

JJ, Morgan, Hotch and Rossi rushed in while Reid quickly called Garcia. Before long, everyone's eyes were glued to the screen.

10 minutes later….

All Reid could think about was Emily. Her already bruised face, now covered in shards of glass. He thought about her stomach, which was now probably black and blue. He thought about the strength that she had, not showing any fear to the man. He thought about how now, more than ever, they needed to find her before it was too late.

Hotch's unmistakeable voice interrupted Reid's musings. "Garcia, I need you to search for males between the ages of 25 and 40 living in the state with a first name of Todd. Cross reference those results with missing children files… We need to find this guy."

"On it," replied a snivelling Garcia.

JJ left the room, claiming that she needed to get back to work. But no one missed the tears building up in her eyes and her deathly pale skin.

Meanwhile, Hotch was wondering how this was going to end. It was easy to see that Prentiss' absence was ripping the team apart. He could see that all of his agents were dealing with the trauma differently. Reid was shutting down, barely speaking and only looking up when someone spoke to him. Morgan was angry, violently lashing out over nothing. JJ just cried and cried. Garcia's usual vibrant self seemed to wilt like a flower during autumn. And even though Rossi acted like his normal, sensible self, Hotch could tell that he was hurting too.

They needed to find Prentiss now….

**A/N**

**So, it looks bad for Emily :o**

**Hopefully I'll update by the weekend… xD**

**Spare a moment of your time to review? **


	9. Her words

**A/N**

**Yay, an update! Before the weekend too. **

**Enjoy.**

It had been over three days since SSA Emily Prentiss had been taken. During that time, she had been brutally tortured and beaten. Even worse, her team had been watching the live video feed of it all.

Although Emily didn't want to admit it, she felt like giving up. If the team couldn't find her in over three days of looking, was there a good chance that they would find her now? She wasn't Reid, but she knew that the chances were slim.

To make matters worse, her health was quickly deteriorating. It felt like she coughed every ten minutes. The coughing left her breathless and in terrible pain. To cap it all off, her body was covered in bruises and cuts.

Although she didn't want to come to terms with the fact, there was a chance that she wouldn't make it out of the freezing basement alive.

She knew that the team was probably watching the video feed. Since Todd was nowhere to be found, Emily decided to try and talk to them.

"Ummm… guys? I know you're probably watching this right now, so I want to tell you guys something."

_At the BAU, 2 minutes earlier_

It was Morgan's turn to watch the video of Prentiss. And he really didn't want to. He just felt so angry when he saw her and what had happened to her. Morgan knew that Prentiss was strong, but was she strong enough for this?

Although every moment of every day was spent trying to find her, the team was out of leads. Rossi and Reid had looked in vain at previous cases, but with no avail. Garcia had been unable to trace the video feed of Prentiss; she had only been able to narrow it down to one part of the city. And although she tried her very best, she had found no leads on a "Todd" connected to a missing persons report.

Suddenly, something caught Morgan's attention on the computer screen. Prentiss, who before had been just sitting silently and occasionally coughing, was now talking… Why?

No one was in the room with her…

Morgan was confused until he heard what Emily was saying.

"Ummm… guys? I know you're probably watching this right now, so I want to tell you something."

Quickly, Morgan ran out into the hallway and gestured for everyone to come quickly. "Guys, come on! Emily is trying to talk to us!"

JJ, Reid, Rossi, and Hotch rushed in. JJ quickly set up a conference call with Garcia.

They were all there, waiting for Prentiss to speak to them.

_Back to the basement…_

Emily felt awkward talking to a camera, not knowing if the people she was trying to speak to were on the other end. But she swallowed her doubts and got on with what she wanted to say.

"Hey…so as you guys might be able to tell, I'm not in the best shape right now," said Emily with her usual dry humour. "I'm not giving up, but there are some things I want to tell all of you just in case…"

Emily really didn't want to think about what would happen if they couldn't find her in time. But, that wasn't the purpose of the conversation. She tried to remain upbeat.

"Well, I just wanted to say that you guys are like my family. I couldn't imagine getting through the day without you all. I might not show it, but all of you mean the world to me."

At this point, Prentiss was struck by a coughing fit. She rocked back and forth, trying to catch her breath. After she felt better, she continued.

"Rossi, I don't know you as well as I know everyone else, but you're a true friend and mentor. You're always so calm and collected, which I really admire. You have a sensible, no-nonsense take on things which I appreciate. You're a great writer and companion."

"I'm not sure if I could have asked for a better boss than you, Hotch. You always know what to do in difficult situations. You're so compassionate on the inside, and you're such a great father to Jack. He looks up to you, just like we all do. You're the father of the team."

Unwillingly, Prentiss was starting to tear up. Angry at herself, she tried to blink the tears away.

"Garcia, you're my sister. You're so spunky and always positive, and you're a tech genius. Honestly, I don't even know how you figure out all the stuff that you do. You're so sweet and kind, and you always see the best in people."

At this point, Emily couldn't keep blinking the tears away. Slowly, they began to trickle down her cheek.

"Morgan, words can't describe how much you mean to me. You're like the older brother I never had. I remember when I first arrived at the BAU, and how much I wanted to be accepted. You made me feel so happy, and I still can't believe that you're a Vonnegut fan. You're one of those amazing people who brighten up a gloomy day."

"JJ, you're such a great person. You have a beautiful kindness radiating out from you, like a sun. You're a wonderful, compassionate mother to Henry and to the team."

At this point, Prentiss had to stop and take a couple of deep breaths before continuing. Finally, she addressed the youngest member of the team.

"Reid, you're truly one of the most incredible people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. You're the team's dictionary and you spew out random facts like there's no tomorrow. I have a tremendous amount of respect for you, and I'm honoured to be your friend."

Now Prentiss really was crying, and she choked out her last words between sobs.

"I love all of you guys; you mean the world to me. If I don't make it out of here… just remember that you're my family."

**A/N**

**This chapter was rather fluffy and emotional… but I tried (tried!) to make sure that everything fit with the characters' personalities.**

**What do you think? xD**

**Review? :***

**p.s. Next chapter should be up… on the weekend sometime. :P**


	10. Too late, or just in time?

**A/N**

**Thank you for all the lovely reviews! As promised, here is the next chapter. Enjoy!**

_At the BAU…_

Everyone was moved by Prentiss' sincere words. JJ and Garcia were in the bathroom, crying their eyes out and feeling their hearts break. Morgan had excused himself and gone to the gym. He needed to take out his anger and pain on a punching bag. Hotch and Rossi had remained as emotionless as ever, but inside they felt like they had been stabbed. Finally, Reid just sat there with tears in his eyes, feeling like a lost puppy.

_6 hours later…_

Emily Prentiss had completely lost track of time. It could have been sunset, daybreak, or midnight for all she knew.

Time was running out though. She couldn't stop coughing, her head was spinning, and she was so cold she thought her feet would fall off.

Todd barged in through the door.

"Well Emily, I'm afraid this is it. You're dear team is never going to find you or your dead body after I'm done. I can already see that you have a cough and probably a concussion, so even if I didn't do anything you'd just die a slow death. But I don't want it to end like that."

"Remember how I told you about my baby sister who was never found? I'm doing this in her honour. I need to get revenge on the FBI for not caring about her, and taking you is the perfect chance."

"And you're probably asking yourself, why did I take you rather than one of your good-for-nothing teammates? Well, if Isabella had gotten the chance to grow up, she would have looked exactly like you. She had pale skin and black hair with dark brown eyes. When I saw you for the first time, I knew that you had to be the one."

Prentiss struggled to get the words out. "Todd… you-you're sister wouldn't want you to do this…" She started violently coughing.

"Don't tell me what Isabella would want! You don't know anything about her! Just shut up!"

He came over to her and kicked her, hard. Over and over his shoe rammed into her chest.

Once he was done, he spoke to her. "Have fun in hell, bitch."

"But before we part, I think it's time for your team to stop watching. Say 'bye-bye!'

Todd walked over to the video camera and switched it off. Then he mounted the stairs of the basement and walked away.

_Back at the BAU…_

Everyone was watching the live stream of Emily intently.

"Garcia, are you hearing this? Search for an 'Isabella' with an older brother named Todd. Run it through the missing person files right now," said Hotch.

"I've found him!" cried Garcia triumphantly. "Todd Warner, younger sister Isabella Warner who went missing six years ago. Her body was never found. There were no clues or leads, so the police declared the file as a cold case five months after her initial disappearance."

"Garcia, do you have an address?" asked Hotch urgently.

"Searching… okay, got it. Todd Warner lives at 4093 Locke Road. I'm sending the GPS coordinates to you now."

"Morgan, Reid; let's go."

The three agents rushed out.

_In the basement…._

Emily's chest was on fire. She started to cough, and this time it was different. Something red came out of her mouth… blood? It just kept on coming up as she continued to cough.

I need… to… stay… awake…. She thought. I… can't…let…go….

_At 4093 Locke Road…._

Hotch, Morgan, and Reid arrived at Todd Warner's house in record time. Morgan broke almost every speed limit and ran through all of the red lights, but he didn't care. As long as they found Emily, it didn't matter.

Hotch motioned for Morgan to knock on the door. He did, and called "FBI! Open up!"

They waited for about ten seconds before Morgan kicked the door and charged in. Reid and Hotch followed him, guns in hand.

"Todd Warner?" Hotch called in a loud voice.

Silence answered him.

They had just finished clearing the ground floor of the house when they heard a door slam.

"He's going out the back!" Morgan cried.

"I'll take him, you guys find Prentiss," said Hotch, already running towards the back door.

Hotch charged after their unsub, gun in hand.

"Todd Warner! You're under arrest! Stop where you are and put your hands up!"

But Todd kept running as fast as he could.

Hotch raised his gun and aimed. He fired a single shot which hit Todd in the leg and sent him sprawling towards the ground.

"Agent Hotchner here. I need an ambulance just west of 4093 Locke Road, as soon as possible," said Hotch into his radio.

Hotch waited for the ambulance, standing over Todd with his gun at the ready.

Meanwhile, Morgan and Reid were looking for Emily.

"Kid, you take the basement while I'll check the second floor."

Nodding, Reid dismounted the stairs into the basement.

The sight that greeted him was a picture that would stay with him forever.

Emily Prentiss lay on the floor, deathly pale. She was covered in scratches, gashes and bruises. Next to her was a large bloodstain, which really worried Reid.

"Morgan! MORGAN! She's down here!" called Reid.

He ran over to Emily and checked for a pulse. He felt nothing. Frantically, he started doing CPR.

Morgan ran down the stairs, gun in hand. He saw Reid trying to coax life back into a lifeless Emily, and his heart contracted in pain.

He radioed in for an ambulance. "Morgan here, we need an ambulance at 4093 Locke Road, in the basement. Agent down, with no pulse. Repeat: we need an ambulance as soon as possible!"

Morgan came over to Emily and started rubbing her hands. They felt like ice.

"Wake up Emily, please. You're so strong… I know you can make it through this! Come on! Open your eyes!" Morgan said frantically.

Reid looked at Morgan and shook his head.

"I think we might have gotten here too late…."

**A/N**

**Cliffhanger!**

**Heheheh. Next chapter should be up soon, hopefully.**

**Tell me what you think of this one?**

**And thanks for reading. **


	11. CPR

**A/N**

**Short, but here it is!**

**Enjoy. **

Morgan took over from Reid, trying to stay focused as he gave Emily two breaths, then thirty chest compressions, then two breaths…

Reid attempted to stay strong as he started talking to Emily.

"Emily, please! Just open your eyes! We need you, the team needs you! Think of me, Hotch, Rossi, Morgan, Garcia, and JJ…"

Tears started to fall down his cheeks; landing on Emily's bruised body.

As if she felt them land on her, Emily stirred.

She let out a faint coughing sound and slowly opened her eyes. She squinted and tried to focus on the two figures looming above her.

"R-Reid?" she asked in a quiet whisper.

Reid glanced at Morgan with hope in his eyes before turning back to Emily. "Hey… try not to move. The ambulance is coming… just stay awake for me, okay?"

"Mkay," mumbled a drowsy Prentiss. It took all of her strength not to fall back asleep.

"How are you feeling?" asked Reid with concern in his voice.

"Honestly, I've… been…better," said Prentiss faintly.

Morgan chucked; at least Emily still had her dry sense of humour.

His happy expression turned to one of pain as Emily started to cough.

Her frame racked back and forth as she coughed and coughed. Blood started to come up.

Her eyes grew wide as she started to panic, struggling to breathe.

"Emily. Emily! Look at me!" commanded Morgan. "Where the hell is that ambulance…" he muttered.

She was now breathing in short gasps, trying to suck in all the oxygen she could.

Reid crumbled, trying to stay strong but really deathly afraid for her.

Luckily, the wail of a siren fast approaching was now outside.

It was about time, thought Morgan grimly.

Emily was hardly getting any air at all. She lay twitching, still coughing up blood.

The paramedics flew down the stairs, stretcher in hand. "How is she?" the first one asked as the second one lay down beside her and started to load her onto the stretcher.

"Bad," said Morgan. "When we got here, she had no pulse. We did CPR for about two minutes, and then she awoke. She was doing okay until she started coughing up blood."

"Alright, I've got her," said the second paramedic, ready to get her into the ambulance.

The two paramedics jogged up the stairs with Prentiss. Morgan and Reid followed close at their heels.

"Can we come in the ambulance?" asked Reid, sounding like a five year old asking for another cookie.

"I'm sorry, family only," replied the first paramedic as he strapped an oxygen mask onto Emily.

"Where are you taking her?" demanded Morgan.

"We're going to St. Joseph's," cried the second paramedic as the ambulance sped off.

Reid and Morgan looked at each other.

"We need to call the team," said Morgan.

**A/N**

**Yay! She's alive! xD**

**I'm not sure when the next chapter will go up, hopefully soon though. xD**

**Review this one in the meantime? **


	12. The Doctor's Words

**A/N**

**I like the beginning of the week, everything is less hectic. **

**Then I have more time to write! :D**

**Anyways, here's the next chapter. Enjoy! **

At St. Joseph's Hospital…

Morgan and Reid arrived at the hospital first, with the rest of the team on their way. When they asked about Emily, they were told that she was in surgery and they would have to wait.

So, the whole team was in the waiting room. A pale JJ stared at the wall with a glazed expression on her face. Tears and black mascara fell down her cheeks. Rossi sat with a book in hand, hoping to get lost in it. Garcia was sobbing quietly onto Morgan's shoulder as he tried to comfort her. Hotch was pacing impatiently, hoping that Prentiss would survive the unimaginable trauma that she had just been through. And Reid just sat there silently with red-rimmed eyes.

Finally, a doctor emerged from the operating room. He was in his mid-forties, with clear blue eyes and curly black hair. He held a clipboard in his hands.

"Emily Prentiss?" he asked.

Everyone nodded.

"You're family?" the doctor asked sceptically.

Garcia nodded vigorously as Hotch said "Yes."

"Ms. Prentiss has just gotten out of surgery. She had a punctured lung, but we successfully repaired it. She has an acute case of bacterial pneumonia, so we've put her on antibiotics. She has a mild case of hypothermia and a small concussion. There was a large laceration on her left arm that required about 35 stitches. There were some minor electrical burns on her ankles and wrists. She was beaten, and there are innumerable number of bruises and cuts covering her entire body."

Everyone stared dumbfounded at the doctor, trying to absorb his words.

"Will she be okay?" asked Rossi, the first to recover their voice.

"She needs to stay here for at least three days under observation. After she's released, she'll have to take antibiotics for her pneumonia. However, besides that I'm pleased to inform you that she'll make a full physical recovery."

"A physical recovery? What about her mental state?" Hotch asked.

"Ms. Prentiss suffered a terrible ordeal. It might take her a long time to get rid of the emotional scars that she received. I'd recommend making sure that she goes to a psychologist to help her cope."

"Is she awake? Can we see her?" Morgan demanded.

"She's sleeping right now, but you are welcome to go and wait for her to wake up. She's in room 116, just down the hall on your right."

"Thanks again, sir," said Hotch with gratitude in his voice.

Nodding, the doctor walked down the hallway and out of sight.

The team rose and went to Emily's room, wondering if she would be strong enough to make it through her pain.

**A/N**

**I know, it's rather short. xD**

**What do you think of it?**

**The next chapter will be up… I don't know when. xD**

**p.s. Thank you so much to all of my reviewers, you guys are amazing. 3**


	13. Sad Thoughts

**A/N**

**Wow, sorry for the delay! :s**

**Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Luckily Emily had a large room.

The whole team was camped out there, waiting for her to wake up. Reid and Morgan were occupied by a game of chess, with Reid obviously winning. JJ and Garcia were dozing off while Rossi continued to read his novel. Finally, Hotch was quietly talking on his cell phone, wishing his son Jack a good night.

However, now and then everyone cast a quick glance at Prentiss.

She looked small and frail, such a change from her usual strong and confident self. Although most of her body was hidden by a blanket, no one missed the stitches sticking out on her left arm. Her fair skin was covered with bruises and gashes, and her brown hair was tattered and tangled.

Everyone had to periodically look at the beeping monitor to reassure themselves that she was still alive.

_She was down in the basement, still. It felt like forever. Why wasn't the team coming for her? Did they even care that she was gone?_

_As if listening to her doubts, Todd dismounted the stairs and stood next to her, looming in her face._

"_I wonder if you're precious team is ever going to look for you. No matter; even if they are they'll never find you. You're going to die here."_

_He came ever closer towards her._

"_I might send them the knife I use to kill you. Don't you think that would be a nice souvenir? I'd finally get revenge for Isabella…"_

"_N-no, please…" she said quietly, unwilling for her team to be put through such pain._

"_Don't 'please' me, you bitch! You're making me angry!"_

_Clenching his hand into a fist, he hit her in the head so hard that she went sprawling. He started kicking her over and over again._

"_P-please… It hurts…" she said in a quiet voice. She started to scream, just wanting it all to end. She thrashed and squirmed, trying to avoid the blows._

All of a sudden, Emily spoke. She said "N-no, please…" in a quiet voice.

The team looked at each other with puzzled expressions. Was she awake, or still asleep?

"P-please… It hurts…" Emily said, her voice full of pain. She began screaming and twisting around, trying to fend off an invisible attacker.

The team stood there with open mouths, not sure what to do. It was obvious that she was having a nightmare, but no one wanted to wake her up.

Unable to stand it anymore, JJ walked over to Emily's bed. The blonde's heart tore as she watched the brunette struggle against her unseen assailant. JJ slowly touched Emily's face and held her hand.

"Emily, wake up sweetie. You're just having a bad dream."

Emily recognized JJ's voice and stirred.

"JJ, he's… hurting… me…" she said, still half asleep.

"Shh, no he's not. No one is hurting you Emily, its okay. Just open your eyes…"

Suddenly Emily's eyes snapped open. She looked around with her huge dark eyes. Everyone could see the desperation and fear in them.

But then she focused on JJ's face above her and relaxed.

"Hey JJ," Emily said, relieved to see a familiar face.

"Hey Em. How are you feeling?" JJ asked with concern evident in her voice.

"To be honest, I've seen better days," Emily said with a touch of humour. She looked around the hospital room and saw the eyes of the team smiling back at her with love. She tried to sit up but winced in pain.

"It's okay, don't try to move. Do you want some medication for the pain? The doctor mentioned that you might need some…"

"It's alright, I'm fine," Emily said while grinding her teeth.

JJ sighed; it was typical of Emily to hide the pain.

Emily started to cough violently. JJ held her hand tightly until she was finished.

Emily was feeling mortified. Although she was happy the team was with her, she felt so stupid and so weak. How could she have allowed herself, an FBI agent, to get captured and tortured? Why did the team have to watch it? They had seen her vulnerable and helpless, the two things that she despised being. How could she face them? They were probably thinking how weak she was right that second…

There were tears in her eyes as she realized that everything had changed. It could never go back to how it was before, when they were all a family. More than ever, she felt like an intruder. It would be best for all of them if she left, never to be seen again…

Emily pretended to be tired.

"Hey JJ… I'm kind of tired. Would you mind if I went back to sleep?" she asked, hoping no one could detect the false note in her voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry to be keeping you up. Of course, you need to rest. Have a good sleep," JJ replied. She went back to her chair by the window.

"'Night," said Emily as she rolled over. She just wanted to fall asleep and never wake up…

**A/N**

***gasps***

**So, I kind of went in a different direction with Emily's thoughts. What do you guys think? :o**

**Please review? **


	14. Resolution

**A/N**

**Wow… I haven't updated in a long time. xD**

**A major case of writer's block… sorry for the delay! Here it is. **

No one missed the false in Emily Prentiss' voice as she turned over and tried to fall asleep. Even Garcia and JJ, the only non-profilers in the room, could tell that something wasn't right.

However, by then everyone had been awake for over 24 hours. Even Hotch, who regularly pulled 14-hour days, was not his usual, alert self. The events of the past few days had caught up with them. All of them were drained, both physically and emotionally.

Hotch, as usual, took charge of the situation. "Alright everyone. I know that we all want to stay here with Prentiss, but we also need to get some rest. It's been over a day since any of us have slept at all, and I for one am exhausted. Let's all try to get some rest, and we'll regroup tomorrow".

Hotch's plan was reasonable, but Morgan noticed a fault.

"But what if Emily wakes up and not one is with her? Or, worse, what happens if she has a nightmare? The last thing she needs is to be left alone…"

Hotch sighed inwardly, but knew that Morgan was right.

"I hadn't thought about that. You're right; Prentiss shouldn't be by herself after what's happened."

"I don't mind staying here for the night," interjected Morgan. "I'm sure the hospital can lend me a pillow or something; I'll camp out next to Emily."

"Fine, Morgan. We'll give you a call in the morning. Try to get some rest."

The team exchanged goodbyes. Soon Morgan was left standing in the middle of the hallway. He found a nurse and received a pillow and a thin blanket for the night. He walked back to Emily's room and tried to fall asleep.

_His hands locked around her neck, trapping her throat. His fingers squeezed, tighter and tighter._

_Emily sucked in all the air that she could, but spots were beginning to dance before her eyes. In vain she tried to loosen his iron grip around her neck, but her strength was leaving her. She managed to raise her eyes to his calm face. As she started deep into his dark eyes, he smiled._

It was the sudden beeping of the machine that roused Morgan from his restless slumber. He ran to Emily's side.

"Emily, wake up!" Morgan said loudly as two nurses rushed into the room. They began to hastily set up an oxygen mask when Emily's large eyes snapped open.

Morgan's immediate relief turned to concern as Emily started to cough and cough. He held her trembling hand as their eyes met. Finally, she was finished. Silence ensued.

"Morgan… he was in my dreams. He was strangling me… It felt so real…" she said quietly.

"Don't worry Emily. Just remember that you're safe here in the hospital. The team is all here for you…"

Emily's eyes filled with tears at the mention of the team. She was worthless; a failure; a disgrace. She loved them so much, but she knew that they couldn't love her. No one could, not even her own mother…

Morgan didn't know what to do as he saw the tears forming in Emily's eyes. He had never seen her cry or show pain, even when she had been beaten by Cyrus. He knew that she 'compartmentalized better than most people', but could she compartmentalize this?

"Shhh, don't cry. Are you in pain? I can get a nurse…" Morgan said, trying to comfort her.

Emily quickly shook her head, but the tears were still there. One dripped down her pale cheek.

"Then what is it, Em? What's wrong?" asked Morgan. "You can't just keep it locked in a box in your head…"

Emily took deep breaths, trying to calm down. When she spoke, she didn't meet Morgan's gaze.

"I have to leave…" she said.

"Leave the hospital?" interjected Morgan. "Alright, if it's really bothering you then I'm sure we can pull some strings."

"No… I have to leave the team," said Emily.

"Leave the team! Why?"

"I don't think I can stay with everyone. I feel… worthless, humiliated, like I don't deserve love anymore. I can't stand seeing the pity in their eyes as they look at me… I've always been strong, and after what happened to me I can't feel like that anymore. It will be for the better if I go far, far away."

"Emily, what are you talking about! We all care for you, don't think like that! It would hurt each and every one of us if you left… We are a team."

"I care for you guys so much…it would hurt me too if I left," said Emily, her voice cracking.

"We can make it through this together."

Morgan leaned over and gave Emily a hug. There were tears in both of their eyes, but they were happy tears.

What Morgan had said was true.

Emily knew that she could make it through her pain, with the help of Reid, JJ, Rossi, Hotch, Morgan, and Garcia.

They were truly a family.

**A/N**

**THE END!**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed this story. I'm not sure if I'm totally satisfied with the ending…. xD**

**I hope you enjoyed it! :***


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